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The newly built, swanky South Beach Avenue is currently home to an entire range of restaurants, with a few more slated to open its doors in the third quarter of 2017.

Nestled amongst them is Beach Road Kitchen, owned by JW Marriot, which offers all-day dining, and you can watch its buffet spread change from breakfast ($42) to lunch ($58), or Sunday Brunch ($108) — who doesn’t love Sunday brunch right? — and dinner ($78), as well as a la carte options.

Stepping through the glass doors, we were greeted with a luxurious interior furnished with wooden, metallic and marble accents. Right in front of you is a chilled vertical salad bar, ensuring that everything that goes into your salad is crisp and fresh.

Let’s start with meeting the man behind the menu, Executive Chef Stefano Di Salvo. He has pulled together a tightly knit team so familiar with what is being served, that you can ask them anything about what they have available on that day and they will be more than happy to point you to the highlights of the restaurant.

Allowing guests and diners to have a more interactive experience was a big part of the dining concept — don’t be shy, ask questions about the food and what to pair it with and which one is best eaten first; I guarantee it’ll take your food experience to another level.

Join me as I embark on this adventure of the dinner buffet. I will also be leaving you with some Chef’s picks, so make sure you don’t skip out on those!

Seafood Room

To whet your appetite, step into this temperature-controlled alcove where you’ll find a wide variety of antipasti and fresh seafood offerings, including lobster, prawns, crabs and oysters. Do note that lobsters are only available during the dinner buffet from Friday to Sunday, while crabs make an appearance on weekdays.

The scallop ceviche is a personal favourite with its vinaigrette marinade. Light and fresh, with a nice bite, the lemon and grapefruit adds a subtle tang and elevates the taste of the fresh scallop without overpowering it.

In the same section are the smoked salmon and Thai Seasoned Scallops served in little bamboo steamers, which you might want to eat it on its own as its flavor would most likely overpower the other seafood eaten after.

The slightly sugared spicy tang hits you after the first bite, and stays with you a bit longer than the marinated scallopceviche we mentioned earlier.

Big on crustaceans, the Canadian Lobsters displayed in a basket on ice were calling out to me. I was more than delighted to find its flesh plump and really juicy, the freshness evidenced by the lobster meat coming clean out of their shells.

The dinner buffet offers a selection of pre-sliced salmon and tuna sashimi, with a higher fat ratio that resulted in slices melting in our mouths.

If you’re one of those who enjoy seeing chefs work their magic at live stations, there are parts of the buffet where an audience is welcome. The oysters, flown in from the Northern and Eastern waters of France, are shucked in front of you on request.

The chef will also save the juice that is in the shell of the oyster instead of pouring it away. While you could eat it with a dash of Tabasco sauce and lemon, I’d suggest having one just on its own sans the condiments to appreciate the natural flavour of the fresh oysters.

Fun Fact: The oysters from the North of France come from colder waters, and are meatier. Meanwhile, oysters from the Atlantic waters in the Eastern part of the country have a brinier taste to it.

Noodle Bar

Moving on to the noodle bar – here you can pick out any noodles and greens of your choice to have in the rich laksa broth.

The orders are cooked immediately, and we were recommended to have it with a helping of black fungus for added crunch and its slew of nutritional benefits.

So go on and knock yourself out at this noodle bar, and customise the bowl to your preference with the chilli and coriander. But keep some stomach space, because you’re going to want to be part of the sharing platter coming up.

Charcoal Grill

The impeccable service at Beach Road Kitchen includes a newly added charcoal grill station. Here you get to pick your fish of choice and have it grilled and seasoned with nothing more than just salt, proof of just how fresh the seafood is. You can also make a special request for your platter to be grilled with sambal chilli for a local touch.

Fresh salt grills: Pick a fish, a couple of clams, octopus, scampi, and anything you and your mates can fit on an Instagram-worthy serving board. Cooked to perfection, the large fish served to share had skin that was wonderfully crisp on the outside.

Squeeze on a tiny bit of lemon before digging in and you’ll find its flesh tender and full of natural flavour — an entire world of difference from some of the grilled fish we’re used to.

Pizza Oven

Staying true to Chef Stefano’s roots, you’d find a built-in pizza oven within the dining area. Here’s where the magic begins, where chef whips up his signature truffle pizza, freshly baked breads and other recipes he grew up with.

Definitely a huge hit, the handmade truffle pizza came straight out of the oven, topped with mushrooms and copious amounts of warm melted cheese, and doused in truffle oil.

Chef will tell you that this must be eaten hot. Also, I know I said save tummy space, but these are one of the picks you can totally afford to have two servings of. You’re welcome.

Now I know you’re quickly running out of space (on your table, not your tummy because one’s appetite is expandable!), I’ll point you to two more things that make Beach Road Kitchen’s buffet particularly special.

Cheese and Charcuterie station

The cheese selection varies daily, and if you’re a cheese lover like my family, you’ll be thoroughly impressed by the entire cheese selection here. I haven’t seen a cheese selection this varied in a buffet anywhere else yet. Alongside are cold cuts from regions across Europe.

Every so often, there’ll also be a trolley going around with small servings of items that are not on the menu.

What we had that day was a melt-in-your-mouth Burrata, paired with bread sticks and grapes.

Dessert Showcase

Finally, and I know you were all waiting for this, check out the dessert spread, not limited to just this table! (Spoiler Alert: The decadent spread of desserts includes lots of chocolates).

Displayed at the side were shelves of cakes, tiramisu, eclairs, and other local kueh and desserts, almost like stepping into a candy store.

Like a mini chocolate factory, these chocolate-coated macadamia nuts are made every day, in-house. Talking about quality over quantity, small batches are made daily so you better snag them up before it’s all gone.

Go crazy over the soft serve machine, or help yourself to the freezer of homemade ice cream cups, I’ll have you know that the coconut flavour is absolutely rich and creamy.

You can get hot waffles made on the spot, then top it up with however much ice cream, sprinkles, toppings, compotes, and chocolate sauce you like.

There is also an entire wall of jars filled with colourful sweets like jellybeans, marshmallows and all the things mommy never lets us have until the weekend.

If you cannot decide between the many dessert choices, end off your meal with an ice cream sandwich, a fond childhood favourite of Chef Stefano. We felt that the cookies could be baked softer, to soak up the ice cream after it has melted slightly.

Beach Road Kitchen is one of those dinner places conducive to celebratory family dinners, date nights and other occasions. It’s comfortable and spacious and the acoustics allow for proper conversations that could go on for all night.

Buffet spreads, no matter how wonderful, often seem to be the last place to have a sit-down family dinner. Here, however, part of their selections are platters best shared, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet various chefs as part of the comprehensive dining experience. They do say, there’s nothing like the pairing of good food with warm genuine conversations.

So, pop on by from now till end August 2017 to enjoy the chilled and grilled seafood offerings before the selections are changed for the new season.